This study reports findings from an empirical examination of the relationship between ownership control and joint venture performance. It conceptualized ownership control as a continuous variable so that the range of values of optimal equity holdings could be derived. Thus, it was possible to empirically determine both the form and strength of the relationship, aspects that prior studies have not addressed fully. The empirical examination was carried out on a longitudinal sample of joint ventures betw een U.S. and European MNEs and local firms in India. Results clearly show that the relationship between ownership control and performance is curvilinear. Contrary to the prevailing views that advocate an equal sharing of equity, performance was found to improve with increasingly unequal levels of ownership.